BiggRanger sent me schematics of a printer that uses two TMS-1025 I/O expanders; one for input and one for output. He pointed out that the MS signal controls the I/O direction. I used a PIC to control a TMS-1024 and a TMS-1025, and captured some signals with a Saleae Logic. I also captured signals while playing Tomy Break Up. And I figured out how to electronically dump the lower 7 bits of the TMS-1040 in Break Up, and they match the visual dump. http://www.seanriddle.com/tms1025.html
The printer schematic identifies the TMS1025 as M50780, which is a Mitsubishi part number. And indeed, there exist schematics for this chip and several relatives in the 1984 Single-Chip Microcomputers databook on Bitsavers, starting on page 6-3.
TMS1024 MS(mode select) pin is emulated now, but can't really be tested until we emulate a device that controls it by software. I also fixed Tomy Breakup, by only updating the round leds on O write.
I emulated the last 3 remaining PIC165x handhelds: - Caprice Pro-Action Baseball - U.S. Games Programmable Baseball/Tandy 2-Player Baseball - U.S. Games/Tandy 2-Player Football
Any volunteers for making internal artwork for the baseball games? Judging from the test-layout, the USG/Tandy one is an alright game. The Caprice game on the other hand, not good.
The spinner is pretty cheap. There are 2 metal fingers that touch a metal sleeve wrapped around the plastic. The sleeve goes all the way around in one area and 1/2 way around in the other area. So you get a 50% duty cycle signal as it rotates.
I've been looking at Red Line Racers, but they are generally too expensive, and the LBGP was cheaper. I did just pick up a broken RLR. Even if it's toast, we should be able to figure it out.
LBGP's sound is pretty grating. Another one where if I had been a parent back then, I would have regretted buying it for my kids.
Might have a lead on a few Nelsonic watch boards that can be donated for decapping/dumping (Pac-Man, Frogger and Q*Bert I think)... Sean- you interested? Obviously they'd be blob-type chips, and the watches don't work in some way (no sound, LCD not displaying...), but I figure if you can get the blob off might be able to at least see what they run on...
You bet! I found a patent for a watch with a joystick, and that led me to a patent for a game watch using the OKI MSM50xx 4-bit MCU, so maybe that's it. Bitsavers has a databook with info on some later members of that family.
and it even has an analog spinner?